Match abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain (no toss)
Ireland recorded a well-deserved win against England earlier, and Afghanistan would have hoped for something similar against New Zealand, but not to be. Disappointing for both sides, and more so for New Zealand especially after their thumping win against Australia. That, then, is a wrap for today. We have an action-packed triple-header lined up tomorrow. South Africa taking on Bangladesh at SCG first, followed by India v Netherlands at the same venue. Later in the night, Pakistan will take on Zimbabwe at Perth. Do remember to join us for all those games. Until then, cheers and goodbye!!
21:19 Local Time, 10:19 GMT, 15:49 IST: Right! We have the inevitable news. "Match abandoned," pings Ganesh C. Both teams share a point each. Quite unfortunate as the rain kept falling steadily with very little or no respite and hence the umpires decided to put an end to the waiting game.
Vasagan Nadar: I don't like the idea of playing two games on the same ground. The second game seems to be delayed most of the time without weather interference as it is, but if rain does affect the first game, the second is immediately under pressure from reductions, not to mention the threat of further delays.
21:04 Local Time, 10:04 GMT, 15:34 IST: The cut-off time for a 5-over game is around 22:04 local time. The rain needs to stop in the next 30 minutes or so, because the groundstaff will need at least 30-35 minutes to make the conditions suitable for playing. It's raining steadily at the moment..
20:52 Local Time, 09:52 GMT, 15:22 IST: "More rain, ten minutes before the scheduled inspection. They had just taken off the covers and put the stumps back on, But it's very heavy now," informs Ganesh from MCG. Looks like we are in for a for a longer delay folks. Yes, one of those frustrating days..
20:35 Local Time, 09:35 GMT, 15:05 IST: "Rain has stopped and the next inspection will be at 21:00 local time," informs GC from down under. There is forecast for more rain later, but hopefully we get at a rain shortened game at least. For now, let's keep our fingers crossed and watch out for the inspection..
20:13 Local Time, 09:13 GMT, 14:43 IST: Bad news from Ganesh: "It’s still raining quite heavily, so covers are back on." We now have started getting into the territory of losing overs.
Mustafa Moudi: Can't call it a favourite moment but for me the Greatest Moment in the tournament so far was when WI were eliminated. This is the first time in the history of the sport that a Former Champion has failed to qualify for the main tournament (Super 12) !!
19:51 Local Time, 08:51 GMT, 14:21 IST: Our man Ganesh Chandrasekaran at the "G" pings this: "Pitch inspection set to happen at 8pm local time, about fifteen mins from now."
Ambala Venkatesh Reddy: Can't forget the Stoinis Thunderstorm innings against Sri Lanka to improve their Net Runrate.
19:27 Local Time, 08:27 GMT, 13:57 IST: Live visuals show that the covers are still on and Rashid Khan is busy signing autographs as a few Afghan fans have turned up at the "G". Pretty soon we will start to lose overs. We will confirm the exact time even as there are dark clouds hanging overhead over the G.
Kaivalya: @Hamza We have not lost any games today. We got a result! Ireland beat England fair and square even on DLS method !!
Harshit: Finn Allen's masterclass against Aussies and VK six against Rauf.
Hamza: Why do you want to have the same venue for multiple games in a day? Australia have so many grounds, mind you. In a big tournament like T20 World Cup we cannot afford to lose two games due to rain on the same day. Disappointing!!
Regin: The ball hitting the stumps on a free hit and India running 3. Never seen something like this. This was akin to the ball that went for 4 after it hit Stokes bat in 2019 WC FInal
Tina: Ashdeep's Wicket of Babar Azam is one of my favorite moment.
19:00 local, 13:30 IST: Let's now switch our attention to the contest ahead. The drizzle's turned into proper rain as I type this. All signs lead to a shortened affair? But let's not get ahead of ourselves as there's reasonable amount of time left before we start losing overs.
18:54 local, 13:24 IST: Bad news if you're an England fan. The game has been called off as the rain gets heavier by the minute. Jos Buttler doesn't look too pleased, but it is what it is. When the nature decides to intervene, you can only have as much say. That said, taking nothing away from Ireland though. Paul Stirling and George Dockrell were there in the playing eleven at Bengaluru in 2011, and now 11 years later at the MCG, they know how much it means to win against a side like England. They win by 5 runs on DLS. Gee, the Ireland players are cock-a-hoop as they receive plenty of hugs from their cheerful supporters.
Sreekanth Magikar: It is definitely the flying Glenn Phillips catch which comes first. However, the Six from Virat was mind blowing.
Aishwarya: Sikandar Raza's class batting in Round 1.
Anand: Yes, of course kholi's six against Rauf's 5th ball of 19th over, still i can't ignore Ravi Ashwin's Smartness in that high pressure situation.
"Wasn't as hard as it was, but it's a steady drizzle," reckons Nasser Hussain on air. It's one of the quickest drying grounds in the World," he further adds.
18:45 local, 13:15 IST: Alas! The rain is back. They have got 10 minutes for the Ireland-England game to restart. If the players don't get on the field by 18:56 local, Ireland will have their first win in the Super 12s.
18:40 local, 13:10 IST: Ten days into the World Cup, what has been your favourite moment so far? That Virat Kohli six? Glenn Phillips catch at the SCG? Sam Curran's fifer at Perth? Karthik Meiyappan's hat-trick at Geelong? Do let us know your moment of the tournament through our 'Have Your Say' section on the site and we promise to publish the best of 'em...
18:25 local, 12:55 IST: After humbling the hosts and defending champions - Australia - at the SCG, New Zealand look firm favourites to secure a semis spot, thanks to the huge NRR boost from the first game. It's still early days in the tournament and every team understands the significance of winning and winning big to put themselves in a position of comfort come the closing stages of the Super 12. Afghanistan, on the other hand, will be keen to turn things around after the five-wicket defeat against England in Perth. The spin trio of Nabi, Rashid and Mujeeb have played lots of BBL games in Australia and they will have to translate all that experience into match-winning contributions if they are to stand a chance against the Kiwis, who will be high on confidence after their SCG special. The Ireland-England clash is pot-boiling into a proper thriller. Do swicth tabs and follow all the action from that game as we wait for the flip of the coin....
18:15 local: Hello and a warm welcome to the second encounter from "The G". The weather for the rest of the evening looks promising, but a couple of rain breaks, earlier, during the ongoing Ireland v England clash means we will have a delayed start. Still over 10 overs to go in that game, and, thus, safe to assume that the toss will be delayed by at least 45 minutes from now...
Preview by Ganesh Chandrasekaran
New Zealand had a rather special win in their opening encounter, trouncing Australia in Australia for the first time since 2009. It is a victory that Trent Boult said left plenty of smiles in the dressing room, and a lot of pride. The victory and the manner of it also set the tone for New Zealand to be right amongst the top contenders to go ahead from the Super 12. In that bid, their game against Afghanistan presents a route to race ahead. However, they will be wary of the slippery nature of the opposition who have proven to be more than capable of holding their own.
The two teams operate with contrasting bowling strengths that have both proven to be effective in the tournament. Additionally, New Zealand have also produced the best batting performance, and the highest score so far of World Cup 2022. In a tournament that hasn't yet seen high-scoring encounters, their dominance with the bat came as a whiff of fresh air all the while revealing how dangerous they can be.
The focus will also be on the conditions on offer, especially after what transpired when India met Pakistan here a couple of days earlier. With pace and swing on offer, the MCG sprang a surprise. A lot of that has to do with the time of the year the match is being played, with summer still a few weeks away. It has also caught the teams unaware.
"At that time in Big Bash, it was drier. The ball swings early on, for one or two overs, but after that it will be a little bit slower, less help for spinners, and the ball won't swing that much. But here the pitch is new and also a little bit green, as well, and also the weather is cold. It takes four or five overs, the ball swinging," said Mohammad Nabi. "I believe we're in a new strip again. It looked like there was a bit of pace and a bit of bounce in the surface, which is always exciting as a fast bowler," said Trent Boult.
When: October 26, 2022 at 19:00 Local Time, 13:30 IST
Where: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
What to expect: This will be the second of the games at the MCG on Wednesday. On evidence of the only game that took place here, when India took on Pakistan, the conditions were definitely in favour of the fast bowlers with plenty of carry and movement. With chances of rain on match day, it could well be advantage pacers again.
Head to head: New Zealand beat Afghanistan by 8 wickets on the only occasion they faced off, which was in the T20 World Cup in 2021
Team watch:
New Zealand
Injured/Unavailable: Daryl Mitchell completed his training successfully and will be available for selection. Whether he will be brought back against Afghanistan remains to be seen.
Tactics & Matchups: After Afghanistan came up short against England, the focus will be on NZ's pacers against Afghanistan's batters once again. Boasting of an in-form swing-pace attack in what is likely to be pace-friendly conditions, the troika of Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson are set to have a big say in the outcome of the game. How Afghanistan's batters bounce back after the Sam Curran-induced collapse will be a battle to look forward to.
Probable XI: Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
Afghanistan
Injured/Unavailable: There has been no reported injuries for Afghanistan
Tactics & Matchups: While New Zealand made the battle against Australia's pace attack look pretty easy, their trial by spin against Afghanistan's top-quality spin attack will be a newer, varied challenge. While pace dominated in the India-Pakistan game, playing on a used pitch could also offer Afghanistan's spinners some assistance.
Probable XI: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmed, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Did you know?
-With a strike-rate of 180.26 Finn Allen has the highest strike-rate for batters who have faced a minimum of 500 balls since 2020- Tim Southee, in the previous game, became the leading wicket-taker in T20Is surpassing Shakib Al Hasan
What they said:
I've been playing for New Zealand for nearly 12 years and have never been able to beat Australia in a white ball game in Australia. To do it on that stage, yeah, it was probably one of the more prouder moments in the Black Cap strip for me, to come in and set the tone in such a big game of the World Cup, and I know the boys were buzzing, but it quickly gets moved on, and like I said, the focus switches to the next game, and after that it's going to be the same thing. Just looking forward to, I suppose, repeating those performances and keep on setting that tone and go from there - Trent Boult
New Zealand played against Australia a good game, first good game. It was totally, I think, different conditions in Sydney and Melbourne. Both sides, as well, is different and hopefully we can deliver well in this tournament - Mohammad Nabi
Squads:
New Zealand Squad: Finn Allen, Devon Conway(w), Kane Williamson(c), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Daryl Mitchell, Martin Guptill, Adam Milne, Michael Bracewell
Afghanistan Squad: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi(c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Qais Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Saleem Safi